Apparatus for feeding cigarettes and articles of a similar shape



Oct. 23, 1928.

W. E. MOLINS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND ARTICLES OF A SIMILAR SHAPE Filed March 13, 1926 @ENUM W il f 6 7 m e M \nu 4@ W, @vw

Patented Get. 23, i928.

naires stare.

earner carica.'

WALTER EVEFETT MOLINS, OF DEPTFORD, LONDON, ENGLAND.

AFPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGABETTES AND ARTCLES OF A SIMLAR SHAPE.

Application and Marca 13, 192e, serial iin.

This invention is for improvements in apparatus for feeding cigarettes and articles of a similar shape, and rela-tes more particularly to hoppers of the vane type, examples of which are illustrated and described in my British patent speciiications Nos. 216326, 238355, 23614/25 and 31477/25. In such examples of hoppers provided with vane slots, the slots are closed at the ends, through which the cigarettes or like articles issue by a gate which is so positioned that it permits only the desired number of rows of cigarettes to be removed by a conveyor. lV ith this arrangement it isfound in cases where only one row of cigarettes is to be moved at a time that the clearance between the end of the gate and the base upon which cigarettes fall from the vane is of necessity small, thereby rendering a tilted cigarette liable to foul the edge of the gate as it is moved in the direction of its axis.

Vhen a hopper of the above character is used with a continuously running machine it is found that the cigarettes have little time to adjust themselves from a. tilted to a hori- Zontal position, with the result that cigarettes are often broken or damaged and a considerable amount of time is lostin removing the obstruction caused by a damaged cigarette.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means whereby the disadvantages hereinbefore referred to are obviated.

According to the present invention there is provided hopper apparatus of the kind referred to wherein the gate located at the delivery end of the vanes is provided with an element pendentfrom the lower edge thereof and adapted to yield in the direction of the axial movement of a cigarette.

Further the present invention consists of a hopper apparatus of the kind referred to wherein the gate located at the delivery end of the vanes and through which each cigarette is moved by a conveyor in. an axial direction is provided with a yieldable element which tends to direct each cigarette with the axis thereof located in the direction of the path of the conveyor. Y

rllhus if the advancing ends of one or more cigarettes in the row which is being removed from the vanes in an axial direction are not low enough, they will be forced against the flexible or yielding element which gives in the direct-ion of the movement of the cigarette, and allows the same to pass from the 94,483, and' in Great Britain April 22, 1925.

hopper vane, at the same time preventingy ka series of fingers of spring steel .or othersuitable material, e. g., rubber or a. like `compo` sition.) The brush Vor like flexible element may extend the full width of the vane slots, or a separate brush or element may be provided for the space between each pair of vanes.

Similarly the spring or other fingers may be arranged one to each pair of vanes, or a large number forming a comb may be mount- Ved across the vane openings.

Further a hinged element or elements held 1n position by a spring or like yieldable member may be employed.

rllhe inven scribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l illustrates the present invention applied to the type of vane hopaer illustrated in my Brit. Pat. specification No. 238355, and Fig. 2 is an end View of Fig. 1 F ig. 3 illustrates how the invention obviates the cigarettes from beingdestroyed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 comprises vibrating vanes between which the cigarettes pass to a sloping table 2 arranged beneath the bottom of the vanes. Mounted.V above the vanes 1 is a hopper, )referably constructed according to the hopper described in my Brit. Pat. specification No. 216326. The space be tween the bottom of the vanes 1 and the table 2 is preferably arranged to be approximately half the diameter of a cigarette, and adapted to move through the space between the vanes and the table are bars 3 carried upon a continuously rotating endless chain 4;, which bars are adapted to remove a row of cigarettes from the table 2. The chains 4 are preferably driven in the manner described in my Brit. Pat. specilication No. 238355.

Mounted at the forward end of the vanes 1 is a gate 5, to which is secured a brush holder 6 from which extend brushes 7. The ends of the brushes 7 are preferably arranged so as to just clear one row of cigarettes and are formed of bristles of a consistency sufficient to withstand the forward pressurey of the sec ond row of cigarettes. The brush holder 6 is preferably connected to an arm 8, the free end of which carries a wheel 9 adapted to engage with the chain t in such a manner that as the tion 1Q more particularly de.-

chain is moved forwardly thewheel (Jvibrates in a vertical direction so as to vibrate the brush 7V in the direction of the axisotthe cigarettes.

Reierringto Figs. 3 and 4, it will be observed that whenthe gate isoil ,arigid characte/r and is adapted to extend towards the table 3 so as to permit only sufficient clearance for one cigarette to pass through the space belowthe gate, if a'fragment 10 of tobacco becomes lodged undertthe lowermost row of cigarettes the conveyor bar 3 vwould move the Cigarette into` engagement with the gate 5 and cause thesametofbe damaged, whereas with the lower end of the gate being yformed ot a flexible character asin Fig; ,the brush 7 wouldyield to the pressure offa cigaretteyand .direction of the. axial movement oi' said cigarettes.

2. A hopper apparatus which comprises in combination a seriesotl Yvaries adapted to be arranged beneath the delivery end of a cigarettehopper, and adaptedto arrange the cigarettes in superimposed rows, a gate located at the delivery end oi" said vanes arranged to permit one or more rows oi cigarettes tobe removed therefrom by a conveyor, and a brush pendent from the 4lower end of said gate adapted to yield in the direction oi the aial movement of said cigarettes.

3. A hopper apparatus which comprises in combination a series of varies arrangedbe neathrthe delivery end of a Cigarette hopper, and adapted to arrange the cigarettes in su perimposed rows, a gate loeatedat the delivery end of vsaid vanes arranged to permit one or more rows of cigarettesfto be removed therefrom by Va conveyor, ra brush pendent 'from thelower edge of said-gate arranged to yield in the direction ot the Iaxial movement ot'sfaid cigarettes, and means operable to vibrate said brushas the cigarettes are being fed forwardly. f

ln testimony whereof .l hereunto affix my signature. 1

WALTER inverters MoLiNs. 

